“I can just see the town hall discussion on this one,” Emberleigh says, her mouth quirking as she softly shakes her head.
I nod, my eyes scanning the barn for Cody.
The chatter of conversations fills the space around us. People stand in clusters. The band is on break and the speakers overhead play music in their place.
I spot Cody walking up the makeshift plywood steps onto the stage.
“Hey, everyone?” he says with a smile.
The room quiets to murmurs and then mostly silence.
“We’re so glad you came out tonight. On behalf of Waterford Fire, I want to thank our sponsors.” He runs down a list in his hand. Then he says, “I’ve been selected to call out the fifty-fifty winner.”
“Make it good, Cody!” someone shouts.
Another shouts, “Pick my ticket!”
My eyes are fixed on him. Everyone’s probably are, which gives me open permission to ogle him without appearing out of line. He’s so relaxed and comfortable in front of the crowd, a warm, welcoming smile on his face.
“Let’s see here,” he says, shaking the plastic pickle jar full of ticket stubs.
“I know it’s me!” Bucky Dennison shouts out. “It’s my lucky day!”
“You never win anything!” Elwood Price shouts back.
“Okay. Okay,” Cody says calmly. “Everyone check yournumbers. I’ve got ticket number five-four-six-seven-six-seven!”
Jillian Nabors squeals. “It’s me! I won!” She turns to her husband and throws her arms around his neck and kisses him firmly on the lips. “We won!”
Cody smiles down at them. “Okay, Jillian. See Mayor Briggs and he’ll get you your winnings.”
Cody jumps off stage and my friends go back to talking.
I’m listening, but my eyes keep roving the crowd, following him as he sets the jar of losing tickets on a table and turns to join a group of men who are laughing about something.
I juggle the urge to stare at him with the awareness that I have to hide, so I flit between the conversation around me and subtly scanning the horizon for a Cody sighting.
A while later, he’s back on stage, announcing the pie contest winner with Dustin at his side. He’s just as easygoing as always. My heart physically tugs to walk up to him when he jumps off stage. I stop myself, forcing my attention on Cass who is asking Patrick if his dad is really trying to build an NFL training facility right outside Waterford.
“That’s his plan,” Patrick says.
I can’t tell if Patrick’s on board or not.
Cody’s moving through the crowd, mingling and smiling with various groups of people. Occasionally, his eyes find mine and he holds me with his gaze.
I shift and step closer to McKenna, attempting to keep an eye on Cody when he disappears behind a cluster of older couples. The band resumes playing. Some people dance. Others continue to mingle. A few grab their coats to leave with their younger children, hugging friends and neighbors on their way out.
The barn feels smaller, crowded and warm. I lose sight of Cody and return my attention to the group around me. SarahRollins brushes past me too closely, bumping me from behind. I catch myself and smile kindly over my shoulder when she apologizes.
I need a breath.
I look around at my friends. They’re all talking and laughing.
I touch McKenna on the forearm and say, “I’ll be right back.”
“Restroom?” she asks softly.
I nod. Then I weave through the sea of bodies and step outside through the back door into the cool air behind the barn.
